Uncharted Territories

Adventures In Learning

Hywel Roberts, Debra Kidd

• Publisher: Independent Thinking Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9781781352953
• eBook ISBN:
  9781781353035
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Hywel Roberts and Debra Kidd's Uncharted Territories: Adventures in learning is a book of prompts, provocations and possibilities designed to nourish creativity and generate ideas that will get teachers and pupils excited about learning. In this time of high-stakes testing, growing mental health issues among young people and increasing pressure on teachers to focus on rote repetition and practice papers, we have to step back and ask: "What is the purpose of education?" If you think it is to get children through tests, then this book is probably not for you. If, however, you think it is to develop wisdom in children - the capacity to think, to apply knowledge, to empathise, to weigh up evidence, to consider consequences and to make informed choices - then this book is most definitely for you. Rooted in practice and grounded in research, Uncharted Territories invites a reassessment of what curriculum coverage can look like and provides an abundance of hooks into exploratory learning that place learners - of whatever age - knee-deep in dilemma, so that they are thinking deeply, analytically and imaginatively. These are not knowledge organisers or schemes of work; rather they are inspirational forays into imagined contexts for learning which, as fantastical as they may appear, always have the real world as their destination. Signposted by story starters and inductive questions - not to mention the beautiful illustrations which are sure to fire children's imaginations - Hywel and Debra's innovative routes to learning will help teachers stray from the beaten track of the curriculum and instil in learners a sense of purpose as they discover, manipulate and apply knowledge and skills across a range of collaborative, cross-curricular problem-solving contexts. Each chapter focuses on a different place - such as a remote castle or a mysterious cave, where the learning will be applied and challenged - and is packed with starting points and "what ifs...?" to establish rich landscapes for exploration and a wide range of opportunities for discussion and writing. To help map out the territory ahead, Hywel and Debra guide the teacher around the key learning landmarks linked to each context's overarching concepts and lines of inquiry, and point out the many different curriculum areas to which the explorations naturally lend themselves to. The authors go further by offering transferable ideas which can be adjusted to work with whatever age group, as well as a variety of context-based tasks to enable the teacher to explore how elements of, for example, literacy and/or numeracy could be incorporated in order to save curriculum time. While Uncharted Territories is a rallying call to arms for the imagination, in each of its chapters Hywel and Debra also delve into the why in order to present the teacher with a comprehensive debrief of the learning processes and the theoretical and academic underpinning. Furthermore, the authors provide a helpful listing of drama techniques and relevant books and poems that can be incorporated into the learning journeys, as well as useful advice on how to assess and evidence their outcomes. Designed for use with learners of all ages, from early years to secondary.

Chapter 1

The Forest

All the stories were gathered here, in one place.

Why is the figure in the forest?

Will the trees protect the forest visitor?

Where next for this forest visitor?

Is this a secret place?

Why might trees not like books?

Can a tree weep?

What else have the trees witnessed?

Who sits in the light, gathering the books?

Is the book we see in the distance coming towards us, or being sucked away?

Your own questions …

Download the image from www.crownhouse.co.uk/featured/uncharted-territories

The Forest

There are few places as magical as a forest. Whether we think of fairy tales – like Hansel and Gretel – of poetry, or of walking through woods on snowy nights, forests are places of intrigue, mystery and quite possibly danger. In the real world and on a practical level, we need forests, and exploring why can be a key area of learning. Topics to explore could include understanding the role forests play in producing oxygen for human beings, in keeping ecosystems in balance and in providing habitats for animal species. So step onto the path and enter the forest …

Primary Landmarks

What if … the children are brought into the forest to meet the Fairy King, Oberon, who tells the children that in his kingdom, there is a thief who is stealing children and fairy folk? He takes them, leaving behind only their shadows. The forest is full of these sad, lost shadows. Could the children create the shadows using screens and lights? Can they find the thief and reunite the shadows with their owners? They may need to make a mental or physical map of the forest – the troll caves, the pondering ponds and all kinds of other places spinning from their imaginations – in order to finish the story. They could also consider other stories where shadows are separated from their owners – for example, Peter Pan.

Concept: Light and shadow.

Lines of inquiry: Why are forests such common settings in traditional stories? What do story settings tell us about the relationship between humankind and nature? What kinds of mythical creatures do we find in forests? What are shadows and how are they formed?

Curriculum areas: Geographical mapping, science investigations – shadows and light, literacy, narrative inquiry, story creation.

What if … the children, in role as surveyors, were asked to inspect and write a report on a derelict Gothic property, hidden deep in the forest? The children are only told that the report should be positive and that the client is a rich man who lives abroad. If he buys the property, they will receive a fee. To entice them in, you can use an image of an abandoned house in a forest. The property has been empty for many, many years. They enter the forest on a dark, dreary day. Having mapped out the house, describing the rooms, they write a full report, describing the house in as positive a light as they can. But then, they receive a letter from their client, who is revealed as none other than Count Dracula … He is looking forward to receiving their report and is keen to purchase a new home. But do they really want Count Dracula to move into the forest? What about the other people living there? Would he be a danger to them? What should they do next? How can they put him off? Or would they sell the house and take the fee?

Concept: Public interest.

Lines of inquiry: Is the customer always right? Are there some circumstances in which we have a duty to say no? How do you say no to someone who is more powerful than you?

Curriculum areas: Geographical mapping, producing scaled drawings (area, scale and ratio), report writing, measuring, Gothic literature, letter writing, problem solving.

What if … Little Red Riding Hood, months after her trauma with the wolf, is too frightened to venture outside? Her friends are worried about her. They decide they must go into the forest to seek out the wolf ’s family in an attempt to negotiate a restorative conversation between their friend and the wolves. But they find, to their surprise, that the wolves are also too scared to leave their lair after the incident. How can peace be restored in the forest? Is it possible for the wolves and the humans to coexist in this habitat? Could we create a safe habitat for the wolves so they are kept away from the humans?

Concept: Restorative justice.

Lines of inquiry: How do we help people to recover from bad events? What responsibility do we bear for our friends’ and family’s actions? Can we change our nature?

Curriculum areas: Restorative talk, negotiating, mapping, exploring natural habitats, protecting different species and humans, conservation.

What if … you discover that the class teddy bear has gone missing? You find a note which says that he has gone to find his family in the deep, dark forest. You are worried about him – the forest is magical but there are many dangers in it. Should you go and help him? What will you need to take? How can you talk to the trees so that they will help you and see you as their friends?

Concept: Helping others.

Lines of inquiry: Is it ever right to put yourself in danger in order to help a friend? What should we take into a forest to keep us safe? What might we find in the forest? How will we find our way home again?

Curriculum areas: Communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, numeracy, counting and mapping, literacy, making labels to guide the way home, designing homes for magical creatures in the forest, mak...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Forest
• Chapter 2: The Castle
• Chapter 3: The Graveyard
• Chapter 4: The Mountain
• Chapter 5: The Ship
• Chapter 6: The Universe
• Chapter 7: The Wasteland
• Chapter 8: The Zoo
• Chapter 9: The Cave
• Chapter 10: The Theme Park
• The End of the Beginning
• Useful Drama Techniques
• Bibliography
• Copyright